To be the leading professional body, in New Zealand dedicated to promoting the use of play and creative arts therapies (the therapies) as ways of enabling children to reach their full potential by alleviating emotional, behaviour and mental health problems.

To act as a professional organisation for anyone working therapeutically with children inNew Zealand.

Play Therapy Aus's constitution reflect s the principles of its founding members:

1. A wide range of therapeutic interventions using play or creative arts therapies and filial play can be used to benefit many children. A qualified practitioner requires a range of ‘tools’ including: art, creative visualisations, clay, dance/movement, drama, masks, music, puppets and sandplay.
2. Many practitioners, working in a variety of settings, as well as ‘Play Therapists’ can use these interventions safely and effectively if supported by an appropriate professional infrastructure.
3. The infrastructure must include a modern ethical system that embodies clinical governance as well as the provision of ethical guidelines, a professional conduct procedure and a register of certified members.
4. PTNZ must provide a lead and meet all of the obligations required of a profession.
5. The varied needs of the children, their carers, commissioning organisations and users of the therapies together with the existing skills, aspirations and resources of potential and existing practitioners must be realistically accommodated in setting standards of competence and training.  The emphasis must be on what a practitioner can do not merely what a practitioner knows.
6. The organisation structure must be sufficiently flexible to enable decisions to be taken quickly, reflect the needs of the public and practitioner members, enable innovation to take place and alter according to growth and changing needs.  We do not want to be bogged down by numerous committees or bureaucratic procedures that so often hamper the progress of other professional associations.  We believe that the majority of members are content to be consulted on important issues but do not have the time to be closely involved in decision taking.  The direction of some professional organisations, with a traditional organisation, can be high-jacked by a small cabal using 'democratic' procedures.  PTNZ believes that liberty is an even more important principle than democracy in corporate governance..
7. PTNZ will work collaboratively with any organisation that aims to benefit children.

The governing documents are the Memorandum and Articles of Association.

The Board of Directors are responsible for the strategic direction and day to day operation of PTNZ. They are legally and financially responsible for running the Society.

The Board of Directors takes into account recommendations from the Advisory Board which in turn receives suggestions and proposals from PTNZ’ Practitioner Members.

There are two main classes of members:

Practitioner members for whom PTNZ provides a professional infrastructure and a range of services

Shareholding members – these are persons or organisations that provided and continue to provide funds, over and above practitioner membership fees, subscriptions and other revenue to enable PTNZ to become established and grow. Since PTNZ is a not for profit company these members do not receive dividends neither will they receive any appreciation on the value of their shares. Any eligible person may apply for shares.

The Articles of Association specifically determines that the company is prevented from distributing any profits arising from its activities.

PTNZ aims, in the medium term, to generate sufficient excess of revenues over costs in order to:

1. Invest these surpluses in research, development, growth and bursaries
2. Become independent of raising funds through the sale of shares, gifts, donations etc

It is not currently the intention to work towards charity status.  The Board of Directors feels strongly that if an organisation is meeting the needs of the children in New Zealand and its practitioner members and is run effectively and efficiently it should not be necessary to rely on charitable donations to fund its operations.

The structure of PTNZ allows its practitioner members to propose changes in policies, rules or procedures through the mechanisms of:

• The Advisory Board
• Ad Hoc consultations
• Referenda – held from time to time

These processes speed up decision taking and avoid the use of a laborious system of committees and sub-committees. It also ensures that proposals for change are filtered through an experienced panel of multi-disciplined professionals – The Advisory Board.

This two tier structure is similar to that adopted by many European organisations.

The continued success of PTNZ depends upon providing good service to its practitioner members so that the needs of the majority are always taken into account. We are market led.

In the absence of any regulation or registration in the field of therapeutic play and play therapy by governments, PTNZ acts as a governing body in a self regulating profession. In accepting this responsibility we have set the highest standards of education, training and practice appropriate to the level of working.